Yellowknife (Jun 19/06) - Mayor Gord Van Tighem says the city has implemented more than half of the twelve safety orders levied by the Workers Compensation Board at the end of February.

The orders were issued Feb. 28 in response to the deaths of firefighters Lt. Cyril Fyfe and Kevin Olson, who were killed in a shed fire at the Home Building Centre, March 17, 2005.

Safety orders The City of Yellowknife was served 12 WCB orders in relation to the March 17, 2005, deaths of two firefighters. Wording of the orders has been edited for space. 1. Implement a fire department health and safety program. Compliance date: June 29, 2006. 2. Create a full-time safety officer position within the department. The position will report to the chief and act as liaison to the city's occupational health and safety committee. Compliance date: May 31, 2006. 3. Undertake an independent audit of the department's operational procedures and standard operating guidelines and do similar audits every three years. Compliance date: July 28, 2006. 4. An independent evaluation to identify gaps in training practices and curriculum used to train career and volunteer firefighters. Compliance date: June 29, 2006. 5. Supervisory and management personnel must re-certify to meet National Fire Protection Association standards. Compliance date: June 29, 2006. 6. Evaluate the accountability system so that personnel take all reasonable precautions to ensure safety on the job and make sure people are trained on systems. Participation in the system will be a condition of employment. Compliance date: April 28, 2006. 7. Develop a procedure to log who attends a fire, what their position is and equipment they used, and how they arrived on the scene, as well as who was in charge of a specific vehicle or apparatus. Compliance date: March 17, 2006. 8. Implement an emergency recall system that includes a system of transmitting information to the dispatch centre. As well, ambulances will be dispatched to the recall scene unless engaged in other urgent medical activities. Compliance date: March 15, 2006. 9. With Municipal Enforcement Division, review emergency scene management procedures and standard operating guidelines. Compliance date: March 15, 2006. 10. Review firefighter fatality investigation and prevention program reports from the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety during regular safety meetings. Any suggestions to improve operating procedures or guidelines to be forwarded to senior administration. Compliance date: June 29, 2006. 11. Fire department personnel to inspect sites and buildings around the city on a regular basis to identify hazards they may encounter. Compliance date: June 29, 2006. 12. Incident debriefings must take place in a timely manner and minutes regarding deficiencies found and corrective measures to be implemented noted. Recommendations out of the meetings shall be posted and forwarded to senior management. Compliance date: May 31, 2006.

Orders six through 12 "are pretty well in place, acceptable" to the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Workers' Compensation Board (WCB), said Van Tighem.

And plans for the first five orders, which carry most of the later deadlines - including an order for re-certification of fire hall management - "have been acknowledged as being in place."

The mayor said the orders are being implemented through a joint-committee of firefighters and fire hall management. The committee has also been meeting with the WCB to ensure the orders are carried out smoothly, said Van Tighem.

An outside expert - "probably the senior firefighter in Alberta" - was hired by the city, who came up two months ago to put together the action strategy, said Van Tighem.

"There's a process and working group that's making sure that everything needed and requested to be done is being brought forward satisfactorily to both sides," the mayor said. "It's something that's being taken very seriously."

Most of the deadlines for the orders have past but the WCB gave the city an extension on some of them. The city has until July 28 to comply with the last order deadline: An independent audit of the fire department's operational procedures and standard operating guidelines.

Craig Halifax, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters local 2890, agreed that targets for orders six through 12appear to have been met, but said firefighters would like to see them taken a step further.

"We've addressed that to WCB's satisfaction but not to our own," said Halifax. "Our plan is to address all the orders with the understanding that some of them can be improved on."

As for re-certification for fire chief Mick Beauchamp and deputy Darcy Hernblad, Halifax said it's still not clear how that will be accomplished because National Fire Protection Association standards don't offer re-certification courses, said Halifax.

"It's still a little unclear on what the expectation from WCB was," said Halifax. "We're sort of looking at options whether it means a higher level of training for our officers or an in-house program for annual re-certification. It's a bit of an unclear order."

Two weeks after the orders were handed down, the WCB filed two charges apiece, under the NWT Safety Act, against the city, plus Beauchamp and Hernblad for failing to ensure the dead men's safety and failing to provide adequate training.

Each charge carries a maximum penalty of $500,000 and/or one year in prison.

Beauchamp has since taken a leave of absence. Hernblad is now acting chief of the fire department.

Van Tighem has vowed that city council will hold a public vote on how the city ought to plead. The vote has yet to be put on council's agenda .

Court proceedings against the city have been delayed three times now - the latest this past Tuesday.

Crown lawyer Shannon Smallwood said an adjournment was requested because the prosecutor handling the case, John Cliffe from the department's Vancouver office, is new to the file.

The defence has also asked for "additional disclosure" of information related to the file.

The next court date is set for July 14. WCB declined to comment.